Painting Techniques - 5 Things To Know About Sgraffito

Sgraffito is a painting method exactly where two layers of paint are place down and the artist scratches the leading layer to reveal the layer beneath it. This method isn't merely restricted to painting: it is been employed in wall decor and pottery; it has been utilised on walls in Europe given that classical occasions and is nonetheless a well-known strategy right now.

How do I do it?

The sgraffito method is really straightforward to do. All you have to do is to paint one layer of paint on to a canvas, let it dry, then paint yet another layer of an additional colour on top rated of it. The top rated layer that you are scratching by means of need to nonetheless be wet. You can use any sort of object for sgraffito so lengthy as it really is capable of scratching by means of the paint: the 'wrong finish' of a paintbrush is fairly very good for this approach, for instance. Artists as well use palette knives or even their fingernails to do the scratching.

Do I ought to have two layers of paint?

You never have to use two layers of paint with this strategy. You could just apply one layer of paint to the canvas, then scratch by means of that to reveal the canvas beneath it. Some artists even apply 3 layers of paint - each and every one more colour - then scratch by way of to reveal the colour of the middle and bottom layers.

What if I basically need to have to practice?

With sgraffito you ought to have great hand-eye coordination so you never construct blunders. The great point is that there is a way you can practice to create up your capabilities. Use oil pastels for the 1st layer, then for the prime layer use black ink. Scratch away at the black ink to reveal the colours of the oil pastel layer beneath. Art college teaches generally use oil pastels and black ink to teach this approach to students.

What are the effects?

You can use the sgraffito approach to build regions of contrast or to highlight unique components of your painting. Sgraffito can too give paintings a sense of texture and depth. It really is rather valuable if you happen to be undertaking an intricate pattern - basically scratching away here and there can from time to time be much easier than painting in tiny facts. The layer you happen to be going to show does not have to be one colour; you can have as quite a few colours as you have to have.

What to recall

The tool you use to scratch the paint should not be too sharp - this is so you do not tear the canvas or scratch the layer of paint you happen to be only meant to be revealing. Build confident the layer of paint you are going to reveal by scratching is absolutely dry ahead of you paint more than it. If you do not let it dry, it'll be tougher to retain the two layers from mixing and you are going to finish up scratching by means of each layers rather of simply one. Build positive the paint on the best layer is not runny, so it does not finish up operating into the grooves when you begin scratching.

Joanne Perkins is a Berkshire-primarily based artist with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. She specialises in painting Berkshire landscapes and loves capturing the all-natural beauty of her nearby countryisde. She is pleased to accept all questions and concerns. For extra facts about Joanne, her function and her present projects go to: http://joannesberkshirescenes.com/default.aspx